Although prior techniques exist in the art for producing thin lines suitable for forming PCBs, many of these techniques suffer from a number of significant disadvantages. For example, many previous techniques suffer from poor resolution. Moreover, techniques which do provide high resolution usually require complex apparatus such as sophisticated laser equipment. A further problem is that previous techniques have required the use of partially cured dry films of photopolymer which are usually supported on a polyester (e.g. Mylar) film. The thickness of these dry films has a detrimental effect on the resolution and/or definition of photoimaged surfaces as this allows unwanted undercutting (i.e. light shadowing) to occur during the photoimaging process. There are also problems in adhering partially cured dry films to substrates and contamination problems which once again causes problems in the photoimaging process. Partially cured dry films are also expensive when used in large quantities. Such systems are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,270 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,954,421, which are incorporated herein by reference.
It is an object of at least one aspect of the present invention to obviate or mitigate at least one or more of the aforementioned problems.
It is a further object of at least one aspect of the present invention to provide an improved method for photoimaging surfaces.
It is a yet further object of at least one aspect of the present invention to provide a cost efficient method for producing electrical circuits with high resolution and small track widths (i.e. fine lines).
It is a further object of at least one aspect of the present invention to provide a cost efficient method for producing high density electrical circuits suitable for PCBs.
It is a further object of at least one aspect of the present invention to provide an improved method for photoimaging surfaces with high resolution and small track widths over a large area.
It is a further object of at least one aspect of the present invention to provide a method for imaging an ink jet deposit of conductive material.